Dodge Ram Ad Shows The Power Of Marketing

Like 109 million other viewers on Sunday, I had the pleasure of watching the Dodge Super Bowl commercial that featured Paul Harvey’s poem, “God Made a Farmer.” Facebook, Twitter, etc., have been abuzz about the ad spot because it powerfully told a message, not only about those who work in American agriculture, but the values we all hold dear.

Anyone who’s ever donned a blue jacket took a lot of pride in seeing the FFA emblem. And learning afterward that Dodge had committed to supporting the FFA Foundation was icing on the cake.

Some folks were amazed that Dodge would center a campaign on the heartland of America. I remember traveling to Europe during George W. Bush’s presidency and having Europeans express amazement that a president would openly admit, express, or believe in God; they instantly thought he was a boob, and they almost laughed at America’s lack of enlightenment.

I soon figured the “cowboy” moniker that Europe laid on George W. meant far more than the insinuation that he liked to shoot first and ask questions later; it signified that he lacked sophistication because he held views and beliefs they had long ago decided were no longer needed. I got the same sense from some of the reaction I read about the Dodge Ram commercial.

I have the privilege of living in Colorado where the University of Colorado (CU) is one of the great bastions of liberal thinking. I think CU takes great pride in battling with the campus at Berkley to see which campus can be more left-wing, anti-American and anti-capitalist. So it wasn’t a great surprise when I read the comments from a radical, left-wing CU professor which basically implied that the Dodge commercial was overtly political and celebrated conservatism. I did like her last line, however, to the effect that: “We get it Dodge; you don’t have to ram it down our throats.”

This professor is famous for being on the fringe; everything in her world is seen through the prism that the world is a battleground between her enlightenment and the rest of us. Her words are dismissed by anyone not on the fringe as soon as they are uttered. But I reread the Harvey poem a couple times to find a conservative or liberal message, and couldn’t find it.

Overall, I’d have to say that I feel really good about the response to the commercial. Despite the polarizing way that the fringes see this world, the majority of America saw the commercial as it was – a celebration of American farmers and the ideals they embody. These are ideals that the vast majority of Americans still identify with and aspire to. I have to admit, the next time I buy a pickup truck, Dodge will get a long hard look.